Free Four: Insurgent
by KATO13
Summary: This is Insurgent from Four's perspective, I'm sorry I'm not good at summaries. Sequel to Free Four: the full story.
1. Chapter 1

1

Tris sleeps silently next to me, and for that I am thankful. I know when she wakes all there will be is a strange silence and an emptiness inside her no matter how much noise surrounds her or how much we will all try to distract her. At least now she may be able to enjoy some peace before all the events of today really hit her. I know she is strong, but a protective part of me is angry for her, because this will make her more fragile and vulnerable than she has been before. I can't even imagine how she's made it this far without completely breaking down.

I look out the large gap in the side of the train, where the scenery whips past, and I know we are close to the Amity compound, where I hope there is solace and safety for us- if only for a little while.

"Time to go," I say, my low voice rumbling louder than I expected, and it simulates the tone of the train below, the rumbling of the tracks below us in constant chatter. Tris doesn't hear me, and I squat in front of her, placing one hand on the ground in front of me to hold my balance. I place my other hand on her uninjured shoulder.

She opens her eyes quickly, not the fatigued fluttering of her eyelids I suspected. Her bright eyes are scared and large, something dark reflecting against the background which was pure light only days ago. She takes a deep breath and won't let it out for a long time. My eyes look for an explanation, but can't find one that exactly seems to hit what she's thinking about.

"Tris, come on," I say, my eyes still glued to hers. "We have to jump."

I know we are close to the fence because of how long we spent on the train, though I can't quite make out its shadow in the distance. I pull Tris to her feet, both of my hands clasping around one of hers. I lead her over to the door, where the world whizzes by in one black, airy mass.

Peter jumps off first, followed by my father, and Tris's brother. Tris slides her hand into mine and we walk towards the edge. My toes hang off the edge, the border clearly pressing against the soles of my sneakers. The wind flows hard against my chest and I breathe in a long, fresh breath, savoring the feeling. I've always loved the speed that being on a train provides, the slight sense of danger, the relief of noise and movement.

Too soon, we jump off and hit the ground. I hear a long breath coming out of Tris, and I look down to her, biting her lip until the skin is turning so white I can see it in the darkness.

"Okay?" she asks her brother Caleb, her Abnegation side shining through her, even when she has a bullet wound in her shoulder, and her brother is only rubbing his knee from falling on the ground.

He nods, trying to stop the crying that was persistent all the way here. I don't blame him though, if I had lost two family members I actually loved, I would probably have been in the same emotional state. However, I do not know the feeling of that kind of loss, and now that I have Tris, I hope I never will.

I can see the path clearly now, illuminated by the slight moonlight in the ink black sky. We walk over to the path, and the fence is at the end, not very far away at all.

"There are supposed to be Dauntless guards here," my father Marcus says slightly accusingly to me and Tris. "Where are they?"

"They were probably under the simulation," I counter him, "and are now…" I scan my brain but stop quickly because I don't even want to think about all the possibilities. "Who knows where, doing who knows what."

I think about my initiates, my friends back in Dauntless. Where are they? I shake the thought away, focusing on what now needs to be done, and refusing to assume the worst until the evidence presents itself.

I leave Tris' side, walking up to the covered keypad on the fence, thankful I had enough sense to memorize many of the codes all throughout the city. I've always been good with math and computers, so memorization of these codes came easily and quickly, something about myself I am very thankful for, and something totally apart from Marcus, who can't work a single piece of technology.

"Let's hope the Erudite didn't think to change this combination," I say as the numbers I memorized flow across my mind like water, the refreshing feeling of knowing something for sure, just pure facts, a sort of good feeling.

"How did you know that?" Caleb asks, his voice still struggling to emerge through the repercussions sobbing causes to one's voice.

"I worked in the Dauntless control room, monitoring the security system. We only change the codes twice a year," I say.

"How lucky," Caleb says, steadying his voice out some. I give him a tired look- the Erudite aren't the only ones who use their brains.

"Luck has nothing to do with it," I counter him. "I only worked there because I wanted to make sure I could get out." I see Tris shiver and I hope she understands that we are trapped in our society, and that someday we may have to break out if this war continues. Flee to wherever we can get, though I don't know if there's anything even out there. Probably not- just more and more fields.

Our group of misfits makes its way to the Amity compound: Peter who holds his arm like it's his life, with my father setting his hand on his shoulder. This is the only fatherly action I've ever seen out of him- and it's not even directed towards me. However, I feel that my father would be more proud of Peter if he knew him- the vicious manners he has taken up since becoming Dauntless- it makes them more alike than I have realized. Caleb walks in front of us just a bit, but it's clear to see that he's crying, though trying not to make a big show of it. Tris walks next to me, her small posture sagging as she looks at Caleb, though her eyes are dry and her face still registers some form of shock mixed with exhaustion and sadness.

Tris picks up her pace and the two of us move to the front of our group. I walk beside her quietly, making sure my posture does not look weak or vulnerable in any way in front of my father's scrutinizing eyes, as I'm sure he's watching my every move.

We walk for a while and we can see the light reflecting out of Amity. The field sways around out ankles and we walk until the grass shortens out a bit and the Amity compound- all glass and wood and light is revealed before us.

All we have to do now is walk through one of the many orchards to reach the compound. It's not entirely long, but the walking here is a little harder- the soft soil causing the tired muscles in my calves to burn just a bit, but I refuse to show any weakness. The orchard is all up and around- making me feel as though I'm in a forest- one of the things rumored to be outside the fence by a Dauntless guard I overhead talking once. But here in the orchard, the smell of dirt and leaves and pure air blends with the smell of fruit and spice.

When we get close to the buildings, Marcus walks in front of Tris and I and my jaw tenses. "I know where to go," he says. Part of me begs to think this is a trick, but the other part of me knows that he's too smart to risk his reputation in front of even three teenagers who have never met him- though Tris knows the truth.

He walks to the left and we reach one of the buildings. Inside the dark wood building, a chorus of laughter rises and drifts through the open window. It's been so long since I've heard real laughter like that, it takes me a moment to identify the cheerful noise. Leave it to Amity to laugh while the rest of the city is in torment.

We walk to the next building and Marcus opens one of the doors, no key or lock needed. That will one day be a reason Amity will be destroyed, I presume- the lack of locks- how ironic. Our shoes squeak against the wood floors- the dew slowly being transferred from our shoes to the floor- slightly covered with dust and soft dirt.

We walk to an open room, where the representative of Amity is- Johanna Reyes. Her eyes are trained out the open window and I imagine myself there for a moment- the cool air and the way it hits your face and dries your eyes but can still feel good. Johanna has a long scar from her eyebrow down to her lip. I know she is blind in one eye and speaks with a lisp. I wonder how she got a scar like that here in Amity. There is the possibility she wasn't Amity to start with, and she could have been Dauntless, which would more easily explain the scar. But I doubt someone who hasn't been Amity their entire life could end up being the representative.

"Oh, thank Goodness," she says when she sees my father. She comes in to hug him, but settles for resting her hands on his shoulders. An Amity always remembers to be kind about others' customs- and in Abnegation, hugging is extremely rare.

"The other members of your party got here a few hours ago, but they weren't sure if you had made it," she says, talking about another group of Abnegation, I presume. Surely they didn't all die in the attack. She looks over my father's shoulder at me, and then skims the rest of us.

"Oh my," she says, especially in Peter's direction in response to his arm. "I'll send for a doctor. I can grant you all permission to stay the night, but tomorrow, our community must decide together. And"- she looks at Tris and I in particular- "they will likely not be enthusiastic about a Dauntless presence in our compound. I of course ask you to turn over any weapons you might have.

I immediately give over my gun, giving the illusion that we are perfectly willing to give up our weapons. Tris, innocently reaches for her gun without a deceptive though like I have. I reach behind her, grabbing her hand before she can get close enough to show she has a gun tucked in to her pants. I lace our fingers so nothing looks suspicious. She doesn't say a word, though her eyes look slightly alarmed.

"My name is Johanna Reyes," she says, shaking Tris' hand, and then mine- once again considerate for what other people would rather do than how she would normally greet someone.

"This is T-" my father begins, but I cut him short.

"My name is Four," I say sternly, wanting no connection with Marcus, and wanting only Tris to use that name around me. "This is Tris, Caleb, and Peter."

"Welcome to the Amity compound," she says, smiling a nice smile even though it is slightly unsymmetrical from her scar. "Let us take care of you."

For once, I am okay with someone else taking care of me. I'm tired- I can't even imagine how tired Tris is right now. They give her some sort of healing medicine and spreads it along her shoulder. Johanna leads us to a dining hall, where I recognize a few Abnegation, more from their clothes than their faces however. The long wooden tables run across the room in vertical lines. The greet Marcus and Tris and Caleb, many of them not recognizing me. Peter was taken to the infirmary so they will meet him later I suppose, though I'm not incredibly concerned with that.

Tris holds on to my arm like it's her only source of strength. She tries to smile, but there is a flood of sad smiles, people, and tears flowing all around her. An Abnegation woman hands her a mug, steam tumbling out of the top. It is pink and doesn't look like a normal drink.

"Drink this," she tells Tris. She sniffs it a little suspiciously. "It will help you sleep as it helped some of the other sleep. No dreams."

I almost tell Tris to drink it- it sounds exactly like what she needs, but she starts downing the stuff before I can get the words to leave my lips. A little color returns to her cheeks, and some of the darkness in her eyes is replaced by light. Her grip on my arm loosens and I feel her body relaxing against mine as she drinks the last bit, slurping at the cup. I allow an Amity girl to lead her away to a room, and they tell me she can sleep there for the night. I kiss Tris on the top of her head goodnight, though her eyes are already drooping I'm not quite sure if she noticed.

"Can I get some of that?" I ask the woman who gave Tris the drink. I need to be strong the next few days, I know. I need to sleep and I'll never get it if I'm as alert and tense as I am now.

She nods and comes back a minute later with the same pinking liquid in a cup. I smell it, and it smells like berries and the warmth fills up my body. I put my lips to the edge, and don't take a breath until it's all gone. My body recognizes the different medicines- a mixture of painkillers and sleep medications and a slight hint of anti-depressants. There's a hint of alcohol as well, I think, because of the way the drink slightly burns in my throat as it slides down. I feel the muscles that have been tight for hours in my back finally getting some relief as they start to relax.

I don't ask anyone where to go, I just go down the hall Tris went down and slump into one of the open doors to a simple room with a bed in the corner. I shut the door with my foot and it closes hard behind me. I twist a little and land on my back, and the mattress springs a little below me. I pull the pillow down under my head to make it more comfortable and close my eyes. The world dissolves into a gray mass under my eyelids first, and then in my brain. I finally get to the point where I can't really comprehend my own thoughts and drift in to sleep.

**Heyy! So many of y'all read Free Four: the full story and asked me to write Insurgent so ta- da! Here is my attempt at the first chapter and I hope I didn't disappoint! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

2

I wake up the next morning, feeling refreshed, especially after washing up and putting on a fresh shirt. Red- the color of shirt I was provided. I'm not exactly a fan, I'll admit, but I pull it over my head and the cool fabric sends up a fresh smell to my nose. A knock comes at my door, and I assume it's Tris because I don't know who else would come to my door.

When I swing the wooden door open, I find it's not Tris, but a middle- aged woman with brownish hair and a comforting smile. I look at her blankly.

"You are Four?" she asks.

"Yes."

"You are supposed to come meet in a half hour for the decisions," she says. She doesn't have to explain what decisions- it's whether or not we will stay here or have to find a way to fend for ourselves while the next few days unravel. "And this is for the small girl, pain medicine," she says handing me a small bottle. "One dropper full every six hours." I take the bottle and she smiles and, not waiting for my reaction, walks away in a little scuttling motion.

I walk down the hall, remembering where Tris' room is. I knock on the door lightly. "Come in," I hear.

I open the door, and Tris sits at the edge of her bed, looking fatigued but much better.

"The Amity are meeting in a half hour." I say, pushing my eyebrows up, and leaning into the door a little dramatically, "_To decide our fate._" If anyone had ever told me that I would one day be dependant on a bunch of Amity- I would have punched them.

Tris shakes her head, and her long blonde locks slide comfortably around her face. "Never though my fate would be in the hands of a bunch of Amity," she says, giving a much more pleasant voice to my own thoughts.

"Me either. Oh, I brought you something." I undo the top of the bottle of pain medicine and hold out a dropper of the medicine- clear like water, but it smells like disinfectant cleaner. "Pain medicine. Take a dropperful every six hours."

"Thanks," she says, taking the medicine immediately. Her face pinches just a bit at the taste. I lean against the inside of the doorframe.

I try to see her how others see her, and not the Tris I see. Most would just see her as an unusually small Dauntless, though I see her as the girl I love and as one of the toughest people I know. Her friends see her as impressive, but still more fragile than she is. I think about how her family sees her. How her parents _saw_ her. I wonder if they ever saw the Dauntless side of her before she chose. Probably not. She doesn't believe she's selfless, but she really is. To her parent's she was selfless, small, sweet… Beatrice.

I slide my thumb into one of my belt loops, "How are you, Beatrice?" I ask, trying out her old name on my tongue. It feels strange and foreign, but nice.

"Did you just call me _Beatrice_?" she asks, eyebrows lifted in confusion.

"Thought I would give it a try," I smile at her. "Not good?"

"Maybe on special occasions only. Initiation days, Choosing Days…" she says, and pauses, trying to think of more. I don't blame her, she's been a Dauntless officially for a day- less than a day- she wouldn't know all the holidays yet.

"It's a deal." I wish I could just keep talking to her lightly, but I need to know what's really going on in her head. "How are you, Tris?"

She seems to mull the question over in her mind, and her body clenches ever so slightly- I barely notice. "I'm…" she shakes her head, the natural light from the window reflecting off the long strands of her hair. She looks back up at me, and I beg myself to think of a way to take the look that she has now out and away so she doesn't have to feel it again. "I don't know, Four. I'm awake. I…" she continues to shake her head, as if that will help her clear her mind and jumble up the thoughts in her head so they will once again fall into place. But that is impossible. I walk over to her, wishing I could take the question back. I place my warm hand on her cold cheek, my thumb skimming over the corner of her lips, and I press one finger behind her ear, to move her head up, and I bend over to kiss her.

She kisses me back, not completely numb to all emotion, though even in her kiss I can tell there's something wrong. She wraps her delicate fingers around my arm, almost pulling me to her so I can't move away- not that I'd want to.

"I know," I say. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

She pulls back and looks at me with big, reflecting eyes. I try to search for something, but she's thinking and her expression is vacant.

"I'll let you get ready," I say, letting go of her.

I go out into the hall and wander around for a while- not able to stay put in that room that's not really mine for more than ten minutes. I linger against the walls, until I see Caleb walking towards me, he nods in the respectful way of an Abnegation, but eyes me in the way only an Erudite eye can analyze. I try to do the same to him. Caleb is tall- not quite as tall as me, and strong- looking, especially for someone who was not allowed to train as that would be selfish. I can't imagine how he's related to Tris- with his height, dark hair, green eyes. I nod back to him.

"Are you ready to go get Beatrice?" He asks me.

"Yes," I answer, and we walk side by side to her room.

She opens the door about a minute after we reach her door. Her long blond hair is now cut, short and gravitating close to her face, curving in a little bit by her jaw.

"You cut your hair," Caleb says, surprised.

"Yeah," she says quietly. "It's… too hot for long hair."

"Fair enough."

I think she doesn't quite know why she had the random want to cut her hair. Though part of me believes it's a way of her marking a change in her life- the different course she is being caused to take, the way she has become different in a single day.

We walk down the creaking hallway and eventually make our way out of the building. Part of me is nervous about the meeting, and another part of me is excited. Though I wouldn't make it a week in the Amity compound if I had chosen it as my faction, the way they make decisions is interesting to me- how harmonized it all is.

The air outside is humid and heavily weighed down with the smell of earth.

"Does everyone know you're Marcus's son?" Caleb asks. "The Abnegation, I mean?"

Actually, I had been asking the question myself. Some of them may have recognized me, Marcus could have even told them if he had wanted to. Some might have just figured out from my physical features, but part of me hopes no one knows.

"Not to my knowledge," I say, casting a glance back to Caleb. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't mention it."

"I don't need to mention it. Anyone with eyes can see it for themselves." Caleb frowns now, and gives me another Erudite- analyzing look.

"How old are you, anyway?"

"Eighteen." I don't need to say more, because it is a fact, though I know I look a little older than eighteen.

"And you don't think you're too old to be with my little sister?" _Oh you mean the sister that's the same age as you, half a foot smaller, but ten times tougher?_ I think to myself, but I don't say the words aloud. Instead I let out a short laugh.

"She isn't _your little_ anything." I counter him.

"Stop it. Both of you," Tris says sternly. A sea of Amity walk in front of us, and we all make our way to a circular glass building- only one story and shining from the sun's rays up above.

The doors are open and plants grow around the edge. Fans run everywhere, making a comfortable humming sound, but not seeming to do much help, because everyone seems to be sweating bullets at this point. I pull at the collar of my shirt, but the air that flows in doesn't seem to help at all, so I just drop it back into place.

In the center of the room is the large tree I've only ever seen pictures of. It is not supported just by the tree itself- it's also supported by metal rods, and surrounded by water. The tree is huge and tangled and complicated, but very pretty and I can see the green leaves stretching out across a large portion of the ceiling.

Johanna stands in the middle, ready to talk to the people, though that is all she does- she has no leadership abilities here- where they all think together, which is one of the few things I like about the Amity.

Everyone begins to sink to the floor, sitting with their legs cross crossed. The Abnegation sit the same way, but not in unorganized clusters like the Amity, but they sit in straight rows.

I feel Tris looking around, and touch my hand to her lower back, leading her towards a place near the wall, behind the group of Abnegation. Before we sit, I move my lips so they are less than an inch from her ear. "I like your hair that way." I whisper it quietly, but just loud enough so she can hear me. She smiles a little at me, and leans against me and I support both of us as we sit down- her arm lacing around mine.

Johanna raises her hands and bows her head, and in an instant, you could hear a pin drop. After what seems like a very long time, Johanna lifts her head and begins to speak. "We have before us today an urgent question," she says, "which is: How will we conduct ourselves in this time of conflict as people who pursue peace?"

Every person turns to one another and simply begin talking, discussing ideas- but not arguing, just simply talking. Because there is no fighting, the room just remains at a constant hum for a long, long time.

"How do they get anything done?" Tris asks, her mind, which works in a fast manner doesn't quite comprehend why this would work for them. I must admit the first time I heard about their way of working things, I wasn't exactly impressed, but now it makes much more sense to me.

"They don't care about efficiency," I say. "They care about agreement. Watch."

I watch in pride as this part of our city works together, teamwork uniting them all. The small groups begin to join up and the voices die out and the conversations come to conclusions.

"This is bizarre," Tris says.

"I think it's beautiful," I tell her.

She casts me a strange glance.

"What?" I chuckle at her expression. "They each have an equal role in government; they each feel equally responsible. And it makes them care; it makes them kind. I think that's beautiful." Though I couldn't live here, I do believe what I said, and I do want to be kind.

"I think it's unsustainable," she says. "Sure, it works for the Amity. But what happens when not everyone wants to strum banjos and grow crops? What happens when someone does something terrible and talking about it can't solve the problem?" I admire her- she's deadly smart as I've told her, and I know that it's impossible for everyone to always be happy- nature of humanity- so I turn to her.

"I guess we'll find out," I say with a shrug.

A few of the Amity, mainly a few older ones, stand up and walk over to Johanna, walking carefully through the maze the roots of the tree has spread across the floor. This group now stands in a tight circle, talking quietly. My patience wavers, and I get a little anxious.

"They're not going to let us argue with them, are they," Tris asks me.

"I doubt it," I reply.

I bite my lip quickly, then release and settle for scrunching my toes inside my shoes to release some of the bottled up worry.

The group leaves Johanna standing in the center of the room, just her and the tree. She turns towards us and clasps her hands in front of her.

"Our faction has had a close relationship with Erudite for as long as any of us can remember. We need each other to survive, and we have always cooperated with each other," she says. My heart sinks just a bit. As a Dauntless, I will probably be leading the group. Along with Tris, of course, but she's really not in a good condition to lead or be leaned upon. I don't know where I will take these people, where danger lurks for them at every corner, especially when they are defenseless and unprepared as they are.

I try not to get ahead of myself and listen as Johanna continues. "But we have also had a strong relationship with Abnegation in the past, and we do not think it is right to revoke the hand of friendship when it has for so long been extended."

Her voice comes out across the room, sweet and soothing, but I wish I could just speed up and know the results of this ordeal. "We feel that the only way to preserve our relationships with both factions is remain impartial and uninvolved," she continues. "Your presence here, though welcome, complicates that."

I take a deep breath- ready for the death blow, or the sigh of relief that is about to come.

"We have arrived at the conclusion that we will establish our faction headquarters as a safe house for members of all factions," she says, "under a set of conditions. The first is that no weaponry of any kind is allowed on the compound. The second is that if any serious conflict arises, whether verbal or physical, all involved parties will be asked to leave. The third is that the conflict may not be discussed, even privately, within the confines of the compound. And the fourth is that everyone who stays here must contribute to the welfare of this environment by working. We will report this to Erudite, Candor, and Dauntless as soon as we can."

Her eyes flutter around the room, resting on Tris and I- as if she already knows that there will be problems, but is too polite to say so.

"You are welcome to stay here if and only if you can abide by our rules," she says. "That is our decision." I think a little guiltily about making Tris keep the gun, but she will have to now, and it's pretty important she does, but the relief of the situation, at least for a moment, causes me to smile a little.

"We won't be able to stay long," Tris says with just enough force so I can here it.

I frown a bit, though I agree. "No, we won't."

**Heyy! So here's the second chapter! Please keep telling me what you think and thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

3

I make it back to my room, but on the way receive a thousand strange looks. Even in the Amity clothes I changed in to- I just don't fit in here. I flop back onto my bed, and stretch my arms up, clasping my hands beneath my head and heave a sigh. Late afternoon light streams in through the window, slashing across my eyes. I allow my eyelids to flutter shut, blocking out most of the light. It's probably not even an hour before sundown now and I can't wait for the darkness that reminds me of the Pit.

I hear a knock at my door and stifle a groan. If an Amity hears me, they'll think I'm being mean and I may even scare them away. I'm not incredibly warm to the Amity anyways, but I need to play nice for a while.

I practically roll off the bed and my long fingers envelop the doorknob.

Caleb.

"Yes?" I ask.

"Uhum," he clears his throat, and his face grows red, and he pulls his eyes to the ground.

I roll my eyes, I figured this would happen sooner or later.

"Caleb," I say in a tired sigh, and his eyes flick up to me. "I love her, I have not taken advantage of her, and I love her for her mind." He seems to relax a little at this, but isn't fully convinced. "I was her trainer during her initiation. She did well, very, very well," I pause before explaining why because I figure he doesn't know. "I had a soft spot for her," I say, swinging the subject away from Tris's divergence. "That scared me, Caleb. I am well known for not having fear, and your sister scared me." Caleb smiles a little at this.

"If I ever seem harsh on her, it's because I know when she needs to be pushed, and I know how far she can go more than anyone else because I saw every aspect of her training. I mean, I even threw knives at her head-"

"You what?" Caleb asks, his voice dry and surprised. He raises his eyebrows at me and I chuckle.

"I did, and I was necessary, and-"

"How did you know you weren't going to hit her?" he asks defensively, and cutting me off, yet again.

"I have very good aim, Caleb," I say.

"So? If you were off just a hair-"

"But I wasn't," I say, taking my turn to cut him off. "And I knew it wouldn't. And after that, I had finally admitted to myself that I liked her."

"That was what made you realize you liked her?" Caleb asks, astonished.

"Yes," I say quietly. Knowing how much she trusted me, realizing how strong she was in every way- I fell in love with that."

"Okay," Caleb says, and I think he's finally convinced.

He turns to walk down the hall, and by the look on his face, I feel like he has another question, but it can't find its way off the tip of his tongue.

I turn away, and then I hear it.

"Four?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you show me your aim. I'm a little…curious still," he says.

"Sure," I say, laughing a little.

A little Amity girl skips by- three blocks of cheese stacked in her arms. I don't want to know why, sometimes the Amity are straight up weird.

"Hey, can we borrow one of those?" I ask her. At first the little girl looks stunned, looking up at me with dark brown eyes. She nods and holds one of the blocks out, leaning towards us, but not moving her feet.

Caleb reaches just about as much, taking the block of cheese, and she sprints off before we can say thank-you. I have the strange feeling that she might be switching factions when she gets old enough, Amity doesn't seem to be quite her forte.

Caleb comes in and shuts the door with his foot. We sit directly across from the dresser, where I set up the block of cheese as am makeshift target. I pull a few small knives out of my drawer, that I hadn't realized I had in my pocket when we got here. I draw a small dot with the tip of one of the knives in the dead center of the block.

I look at Caleb, then focus on the cheese. I slow my breathing, like my trainer, Amar, taught me, and focus in. The cheese goes blurry around the edges and I release the knife on an exhale. The tip lands right in the small dent I made earlier.

"What?" he asks shocked. "Do it again, that was just luck."

"It wasn't luck," I counter, laughing at his expression. "I guess your Erudite brain can't quite understand muscle memory."

His eyes narrow at the challenge and watch me closely as I sink another knife right in the center.

He gets up and takes the knives out of the cheese, getting ready for his try.

He looks at me, and tries to breathe the way I did, moving his arm to a good angle, obviously studying my movements, and I must admit I'm impressed. He pretends to throw the knife a few times, and I am launched back to a few weeks ago, when Tris did the same thing and a smile makes its way onto my face.

Finally, he releases the knife, but his elbow moves out to the side, and the knife ricochets off the side of a lamp, and sinks itself into the cheese by some crazy happening.

Caleb points at the cheese, smiling so big that his mouth is a bit open. He nods his head as if to say 'I did good, right?'

"No, not like _that_," I say, a laugh reverberating through my chest.

"What do you mean, 'not like that'? I imitated you perfectly," he counters.

"You did not."

"Well, do it again, then."

I start to stretch from my sitting position to get the knife, but my peripheral vision distracts me too much, because Tris has just pushed my door open. I pick up a butter knife off the floor instead, and don't yet acknowledge Tris because of Caleb's challenge.

The knife thunks into the cheese and Caleb, who is now standing beside me, stares before pulling his eyes up to Tris.

"Tell me he's some kind of Dauntless prodigy," says Caleb. "Can you do this too?"

Tris deliberately looks at my left hand, with which I just threw. Caleb doesn't realize it, but I've been throwing with my off-hand, and still hitting the target perfectly, I smile.

"With my right hand, maybe," she says. "But yes, _Four_ is some kind of Dauntless prodigy," she says smiling at me. I feel a small surge of pride and a warmth from the way she says my nickname, appealing to the part of me that begs to be stronger than I am. "Can I ask _why_ you're throwing knives at cheese?"

"Caleb came by to discuss something," I say, leaning my head back lightly against the wall and allow my eyes to glaze over her eyes lazily. "And knife-throwing just came up somehow."

"As it so often does," she says, the slightest of smiles creeping up onto her face. I stare at that smile, her lips, then her nose, then her eyes. The pale blue pierces straight through me and I can't- and refuse- to break her gaze.

Caleb clears his throat awkwardly. "Anyway, I should be getting back to my room," he says, and I can sense him looking from me to Tris and then back and forth. "I'm reading this book about the water-filtration systems. The kid who gave it to me looked at me like I was crazy for wanting to read it. I think it's supposed to be a repair manual, but it's fascination." He stops himself. "Sorry. You probably think I'm crazy too."

"Not at all," I say sarcastically. "Maybe _you_ should read that repair manual too, Tris. It sounds like something you might like." My voice drips with fake enthusiasm.

"I can loan it to you," Caleb offers.

"Maybe later," she says, and Caleb walks out. She turns to me and looks at me accusingly, but I can't take the look seriously.

"Thanks for that," she says. "Now he's going to talk my ear off about water filtration and how it works. Though I guess I might prefer that to what he wants to talk to me about."

"Oh? And what's that?" I ask, raising my eyebrows at her. "Aquaponics?" I ask, referring to one of the harvest systems here at Amity.

"Aqua-what?" she asks.

"It's one of the ways they grow food here. You don't want to know."

"You're right, I don't," she says. "What did he come to talk to you about?"

"You," I say. "I think it was the big-brother talk. 'Don't mess around with my sister' and all that."

I stand up from my sitting position.

"What did you tell him?" she asks, innocent blue eyes peering up at me.

I walk towards her.

"I told him how we got together- that's how knife-throwing came up," I say, "and I told him I wasn't messing around."

She smiles and her cheeks warm up, red rising up and contrasting against her eyes. My fingers slide around her hips, and I press her into the door , so that it clicks shut for extra measure.

I kiss her lightly, warm blossoming up from my stomach and tearing through my chest, heat thrashing at every inch of me.

She pulls up her arm, pulling me closer to herself, and I follow her lead, feeling awful about her other arm- which hangs limply at her side, injured.

I kiss her more forcefully, willing myself to take her pain, and her fingers glide against my back, slim fingers slipping under the hem of my shirt, cold and forceful against my back. The cold spreads across, contrasting with the heat in my body, and my back tenses underneath her touch.

I kiss her again, even more forceful, unable to be any softer, and my hands move up to her waist, the soft but strong flesh sweet underneath my touch.

I breathe heavily, and my mind returns to me. She came here for something. She probably doesn't want to talk about it, but she needs to.

I pull back, and I see a whimper in her eyes, but I can't give in to it.

"This isn't what you came here for," I whisper to her.

"No."

"What did you come for, then?"

"Who cares?" she asks.

Her fingers run through my short hair, and she pulls me back in. The heat spreads, causing a fire, and I can't stop myself from kissing her. I beg my mind to return, my reasoning, and it finally does.

"Tris," I mumble against the cool skin on her cheek.

"Okay, okay," she says, her eyelids fluttering shut, blocking me from the bright blue.

We sit side by side on my bed, and the story tumbles out about how she overheard Marcus and Johanna in the orchard. They were talking about the timing of the attack, and how they argued. I try to focus on the pure stats, but I feel myself slightly cringing at any mention of my father. I wish I was strong enough to want to confront him.

"Well, what do you think?" she asks, when the story is done.

"I think," I say, mulling over my answer, "that it's Marcus trying to feel more important than he is."

She raises her eyebrows. "So… what? You think he's just talking nonsense?"

"I think there probably is some information the Abnegation knew that Jeanine wanted to know, but I think he's exaggeration its importance. Trying to build up his own ego by making Johanna think he's got something she wants and he won't give it to her."

"I don't…" the corner of her lips turn down. "I don't think you're right. He didn't sound like he was lying."

"You don't know him like I do. He is an excellent liar." I try to show her the truth by the way I look at her. She can't understand what kind of person he is. I'm glad she's never had someone like him in her life, but I can't allow her to be naïve to what kind of person he is, no matter how much I would love to shelter her from the Marcuses in the world.

"Maybe you're right," she says, "but shouldn't we find out what's going on? Just to be sure?" Her blue eyes reflect curiosity and remind me of the blue the Erudite wear. I see her, just for a split second, wearing blue, curious eyes finally getting the answers she desires. But, that would make her my enemy, and I can't fathom that.

"I think it's more important that we deal with the situation at hand," I say. "go back to the city. Find out what's going on there. Find a way to take Erudite down. Then maybe we can find out what Marcus was talking about, after this is all resolved. Okay?"

She nods, in an understanding, but not quite convinced way. I try to look deeper into her eyes, to tell her that I won't be changing my mind about this, that I'm sure in this decision. But, the deeper I try to look, clouds of thought in her eyes block me out.

**Hey y'all! So sorry I haven't updated in like FOREVER! But I had computer issues (the screen broke) but I was totally fine (haha ya right- I had separation anxiety because we had to send my computer to get fixed!) Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

4

I stalk toward the cafeteria, my jaw clenching and locking and grinding.

Those Amity.

I just can't stand them.

I take a deep breath. They're so "peaceful" it's driving me up a wall.

I had been doing dishes.

Stinking DISHES.

1. Someone bumped into me. 2. The boy (my age, possibly a year older or younger- he had one of those faces you can't quite target) _grinned_ at me. 3. He talked.

Boy: "Sorry man, just be careful."

Me: "You were behind me, it's not my fault I took a step back and you took a step forward after that."

Boy: "Dude, just chill."

Me: "Don't tell me what to do."

Boy: "Here, have a piece of bread."

Me: "I don't want that."

Boy: shoves bread closer to me.

Me: "I said I don't want it!"

After that, my muscles visibly coiled, ready shove the bread into his mouth. Then, two other Amity said they would make sure I got kicked out of the compound. What's the big deal? It's bread. My father walked in and the Amity _tattled_ on me- to my fake father. He scolded me, like I was a four year old. "Tobias you know better," and "Tobias, act like a son I would be proud of," and even "don't do something like that again."

The Amity looked at me and I frowned.

So, I ate the carbacious material and it tasted weird. Maybe it's just because it was forced upon me.

They talked to me about peace- _the whole time it took me to down that junk._

I spot Tris sitting at one of the tables across from Caleb. I walk lightly but forcefully over and drop into the seat next to her.

"What happened?" she asks.

"In their enthusiasm for conflict resolution, the Amity have apparently forgotten that meddling creates _more_ conflict," I say angrily. "If we stay here much longer, I am going to punch someone, and it's not going to be pretty." I say it loudly. I am not kidding.

Caleb and Susan raise their eyebrows- the Abnegation silence still engrained in their brains. A few Amity look our way as well- their eyes all alarmed.

"You heard me," I say, their eyes scattering away from me.

"As I said," Tris says, her small hand covering her mouth to hide her grin, "what happened?"

"I'll tell you later," I grunt.

The other Abnegation sit with us, though they don't talk to us. I realize that the Abnegation are _helpful_ not _social_. I notice Tris' discomfort and realize it must be the Abnegation- they remind her too much of her old life, of her family- half of whom are dead. I fidget a little myself, for the completely different reason- that my father is one of them- they think he's great, a hero even.

_He still continues to go on and be completely selfless while his wife is already buried and his only son so evilly left him for another faction. He's a leader, but in the most selfless way possible. So kind, so humble…_

I could almost barf at what they must think of him.

And then, I almost _feel_ him. He comes up right behind me, and out of my peripheral vision, I can see his hand settling on Tris' injured shoulder. She clenches her teeth in pain, and I immediately want to accuse him for doing that on purpose.

"She got shot in that shoulder," I say, not looking to acknowledge his presence. He is a stranger to me.

"My apologies," his voice, which sounds an awful lot like mine, just older, says. He sits down next to me. "Hello."

I'll say one thing. My father is one heck of an actor.

"What do _you _want?" Tris snaps, while my love for her grows.

"Beatrice," Susan whispers. And even her_ rebuke_ sounds like a simple comment. Abnegation to the core. "There's no need to-"

"Susan, please," Caleb says. Susan shuts up immediately.

"I asked you a question," Tris adds. My shoulders uncoil slightly at her boldness, making me strong as well.

"I would like to discuss something with you," Marcus says. His face seems blank and happy, but I can tell in his tone- the way it would be right before he yells, pretending to be a stern father, but really a torturous beast. "The other Abnegation and myself have discussed it and decided that we should not stay here. We believe that, given the inevitability of further conflict in our city, it would be selfish of us to stay here while what remains of our faction is inside that fence. We would like to request that you escort us."

_Escort?_

There's something else up his sleeve, there has to be. The second I look at his eyes, fear floods me like a child, and I'm ashamed. Too much remembering.

In moments of weakness like this, I wish there was a serum of forgetfulness.

Tris looks at him, then at me, but I just stare down at the table.

"What do you think?" she asks me.

"I think we should leave the day after tomorrow," I say. I will do, just this once, what my father asks. Only because I as well can't stay here very long.

"Okay. Thank you," Marcus says. He gets up and sits at another part of the table.

Tris scoots closer to me, but doesn't offer any words. I assume she knows whatever she says wouldn't be able to lighten my mood. She grabs my hand under the table, and she looks so deep in thought I doubt she notices the bone-breaking intensity with which I hold on.

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry I haven't uploaded in like an eternity! Thanks so much for all of you reading the story! Your comments mean so much to me! HAPPY FOURTRIS DAY! April (4) 6! I know, when my friend brought this to my attention, I fangirled as well.**


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